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Bentley Hall Cairn project - what we achieved
An exciting discovery at Bentley Cairn
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An exciting discovery at Bentley Cairn
Location: Walsall
The Bentley Hall Cairn Restoration Group hoped to carry out a further archaeological study to investigate discoveries they had made during their LHI project.
Following the project’s discovery of what they believed to be the remains of the third Bentley Hall, unearthed during the restoration work to the cairn, steering group sought to secure funding to carry out an archaeological study of the surrounding site.
This building, the third and last, Bentley Hall was demolished in the 1930s. Evidence suggested it was rebuilt in the 18th century on the site of the former Jacobean manor house that had been home to Jane Lane and her brother Colonel John Lane, and which provided shelter for a fleeing Charles II.
In 1743, it was also the place where Reverend John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, was brought by a mob angered by his preaching. They demanded his prosecution by Mr John Lane, Justice of the Peace, a descendant of Colonel Lane.
Additional archive research carried out as a result of the project revealed evidence of a medieval manor house in Bentley. Prior to the start of the project, it was widely believed that there had only been two manor houses in Bentley. Unfortunately, it was extremely unlikely that any physical evidence of this building would be detected due to the considerable developments that had taken place in the area over the centuries.
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